Games Workshop has brought in Reece again to give us an idea on how the the Tyranids are going to play in 8th edition in this latest faction teaser!
Reece from Frontline Gaming was more than happy to give a breakdown about how the Tyranids will play in the upcoming update. Let’s take a look at a couple key points from his article on Warhammer Community.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t start out with my all time favourite Tyranid unit: the Swarmlord. He is an absolute beast now, as he should be! With a Toughness value of 6, 12 Wounds, a 3+ save and a 5+ invulnerable save (increased to a 4+ invulnerable save in melee) he is not easily taken down. This can be further enhanced by casting Catalyst on him (and did I mention he’s a potent Psyker, too?) to give him a 5+ save vs Wounds suffered.
We’re seeing another model that has stats that get worse with the more wounds it takes. But this still isn’t stopping The Swarmlord from being a devastating troop on the tabletop. Coming in with 12 wounds, Toughness 6, a 3+ save, and a 5+ invulnerable save is going to make this one model with a lot of survivability.
But it’s not just defence, oh no, Mr. Swarmlord brings the pain in combat as well. With a base of Strength of 8, 7 Attacks, hitting on a 2+, with an AP value of -3 and D6 damage a pop, the Swarmlord can lay low even Titanic units in a single round of combat. Truly a fearsome adversary.
However, his ability that I have found to be most useful is Hive Commander, which allows a friendly unit to move in the Shooting phase. This is incredibly powerful for the sudden added mobility. For Hormagants, with their blisteringly quick Movement of 8″, this means a potential 16″ move before attempting a charge. Or he could simply use it on himself and move up to 18″…
With 7 attacks hitting on a 2+, a base Strength of 8, Ap -3, and D6 damage he is definitely going to be getting some hard hits in. But take a look at Hive Commander. He’s giving himself or another unit the ability to move in the shooting phase, this will be huge for those times when you need to get across the board real quick, or you’re trying to intercept an enemies movements to block attacks on other units.
Genestealers, who are the iconic Tyranid unit in my eyes, are absolutely lethal. Not only are they incredibly fast with an 8″ Move themselves, they can also charge after advancing. With their shiny new 5+ invulnerable save, they’re also hardy, and I often cast Catalyst on them too, because I am a mean, mean man.
But to really crank the power up to 11 with Genestealers, take them in units of 10 or more to trigger their Flurry of Claws special rule, bumping them up to 4 Attacks each. Combo this with the Broodlord (who is also, utterly deadly in melee) to also give them a +1 to hit in the Fight phase. That means a full unit of 20 has 80 Attacks hitting on a 2+. With their Rending Claws – which bump up to AP -4 on a 6 to wound – very few units in the game can withstand a full strength Genestealer charge!
Flurry of Claws is a special rule that will be making Genestealers a little more deadly, take units of 10 or more and they’ll get 4 attacks each. Rending Claws will get AP -4 on a wound roll of 6 (divide 70 wounds by 6 real quick), so as a base unit the Genestealers are going to be something to fear when they come at you head on with a swarm.
Due to the changes in the way damage works, medium sized Tyranids are much more enjoyable to play. A Tyranid Warrior with 3 Wounds and a Toughness value of 4 is so much more durable than he was, that it’s incredible. I’ve been using them as midfield Synapse providers who are both good with close range shooting and in melee.
And Synapse, hmm, what type of benefit does that provide? Nothing less than immunity to morale for friendly Tyranids units within range. Bring on the hordes of little gribblies!
The Tyranids have just become a lot more survivable than they previously were, and Synapse is making them immune to morale for friendly Tyranid units in range so you won’t have to worry about losing any extra models.
This is an exciting preview for Tyranid fans. 8th edition definitely seems like it might be a new beginning for dust collecting Tyranid armies.
What are your thoughts? What are you planning on putting in your army for or to fight against the bugs? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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About the Author: James Rodriguez
I’m a huge fan of anything tabletop. I play strictly Chaos in Warhammer, and Imperial in anything Star Wars. I spent 8 years in the military. Now I’m happy to be a civilian working with a great group of people.
“We are all tyrants. Do not fool yourself. We were bred for nothing else.”
-Mortarion
